Bold ‘Wrinkle in Time’ hits some bumps on its space journey

Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” is a landmark film even before it hits the theaters.

The adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s mystical young-adult sci-fi novel was budgeted at more than $100 million, the largest a woman of color has been handed for a film. DuVernay is only the fourth female director to receive that kind of budget, and in tackling the beloved 1962 novel, she has taken an enormous swing.

DuVernay marshaled an array of star power to inhabit L’Engle’s tale, with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling stepping into the roles of the Misses, deity-like beings who guide young Meg (Storm Reid) on her journey through space and time. It’s almost laughably appropriate casting for Winfrey, who embodies the wise, godlike presence Mrs. Which.

Underneath the sci-fi elements of the book and film the story is quite straightforward: A young girl sets out to find her missing father (Chris Pine).

Never miss a local story.

Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell have adapted what has been considered an “unfilmable” book, and keeping the story simple and earnest is the necessary foundation for the fantastical set pieces DuVernay crafts. Meg, her precocious younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and their friend Calvin (Levi Miller) travel through space and time, from verdant and vibrant planets to the dark, reality-bending space of Camazotz, where her father is believed to be stranded.

DuVernay shoots for the stars with a highly stylized look and energy that’s both visionary and referential. It’s very much akin a children’s fantasy adventure film from the ’80s or ’90s — the quirky Misses, especially Witherspoon’s Mrs. Whatsit, are clearly indebted to Zelda Rubinstein’s performances from “Teen Witch” and “Poltergeist.”

When “Wrinkle” is firing on all cylinders, it brings you back to the imaginative adventure of childhood, when the stakes were clear and always high. It’s not often that we see purely straightforward films that are simply about vanquishing darkness with the light from within us. That’s exactly what “Wrinkle” is about, and it never hides that message.

But there are times when the film doesn’t quite flow. The tone and style are often herky-jerky and affected, especially with the Misses. The editing isn’t smooth but rather skitters and yanks, often to alert us to shifts in the film’s reality, but it’s still jarring. Some of the more action-packed moments devolve into a jumble of grayish CGI, losing all of the carefully honed world-building.

Even worse, the relationship between Calvin and Meg is uncomfortably romantic and distracting.

DuVernay has set out to make an ambitious fantasy epic, and in many ways she succeeds. Pine is wonderful as the reckless but inspirational dad, and McCabe is a breakout star, stealing the film as the odd little brother.

Many moments are beautiful and surreal, while others are just plain weird (and not always in a good way). If it doesn’t always work, well, at least DuVernay went for it, and her version of “A Wrinkle in Time” is just as gorgeous and strange as can be expected.